The first Muslim politician of South Africa Ahmet Ataullah Bey, 1865

27 Pages·2014·1.83 MB·English

The first Muslim politician of South Africa
The first Muslim politician of South Africa
Ahmet Ataullah Bey, 1865 – 1903
Halim Gencoglu
Religious Studies
University of Cape Town
[email protected]
History teaches us that a language movement cannot succeed without struggle on the political,
economic and cultural front.
Ahmet Ataullah Bey, 1896
Abstract
Ahmet Ataullah Bey was a South African intellectual and politician who
served the South African Muslims in the last quarter of nineteenth century.
Ataullah Bey played prominent role in South African history as the first
Muslim activist and politician in the country. His endeavours to participate in
political affairs at the Cape and be voted into parliament were of significant
importance, highlighting his challenges as a person of colour at the height of
white supremacy in South Africa. This paper attempts to illuminate in part the
challenges faced by Ataullah Bey during his life.
Ataullah Bey also served as a Turkish emissary for the Ottoman State under
the Caliphate during the reign of Sultan Abdul Hamid Khan II. His activities
provide insight into the policies of Abdul Hamid Khan II and show the social
conditions of the nineteenth century Muslim world. Ataullah Bey came from
a very established and well educated family and his ancestors were great Ulama
in the Ottoman State throughout history. This short biography deals with
Ataullah Bey’s educational and political activities from his childhood to his
death. It also illustrates his significant endeavours in South Africa as well as in
Singapore in light of the broader political and historical context. Details about
Ataullah Bey’s family are also presented in this paper. The text concludes
with Ataullah Bey’s unfortunate death in Singapore at the fairly young age of
thirty-nine.
Keywords: Ahmet Ataullah Bey; South African Muslims; Muslim
community; Cape Parliament; Colonial Government; Ottoman State; Sultan
Abdul Hamid Khan.
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Introduction
Ahmet Ataullah Bey was a South African Muslim intellectual and politician.
He fought for freedom and justice, bringing about many significant changes
for Muslim people. Ataullah Bey’s work established a deep social consciousness
during the time of the Cape Colonial Government. In addition, his activities
provide insight into the policies of the Ottoman State under the rule of
Abdul Hamid II and reveal internationally the social conditions of the late
nineteenth century Muslim world.
This paper attempts to illuminate the types of challenges faced by Ataullah
Bey, a man who came from an established, well-educated family and whose
ancestors were Ulama of the Ottoman State. It offers biographical information
about Ataullah Bey and examines his educational and political activities from
childhood until his death in Singapore at the relatively young age of 39. Using
the Ottoman archival documents, the paper demonstrates his significance to
South Africa as well as to Singapore in the light of the broader international
historical context.
Firstly, it is necessary to clarify aspects of his historical identity. In this
paper, the preferred honorific title used for Ahmet Ataullah is Bey rather than
Effendi. In Ottoman literature, Effendi is a title of nobility meaning “a lord or
master”. This title is more appropriate for Ahmet Ataullah’s father, Abu Bakr
Effendi because Abu Bakr was educated for scholarly purposes and served as
an Islamic scholar.1 On the other hand, Beg/Bey refers to the governor of a
district or province in the Ottoman Empire, “formerly” a title of respect for a
statesman and intellectual in Turkey. Bey has also been used as an aristocratic
title in various Turkic states throughout history. Like his father, Ahmet Ataullah
has also been identified as Effendi; however, because Ataullah’s role in history
is different from that of his father, it is more appropriate to use Bey to signal
the historical status of the first Muslim politician and intellectual, Ahmet
Ataullah Bey. Despite his political and educational endeavours, Ataullah Bey’s
role as a historical figure has been neglected in South African historiography.
Also, due of its pertinence to understanding international socio-political
conditions of the twenty-first century Muslim world, this paper seeks to bring
this subject back to light through archival records.
1 S Heinz & R Carl, Islam in South Africa, 1653-2001. On slavery and political exile edited by T Faizasyah, MS
Purba, A Garinto, T Siregar, F Sari (Cape Town, Consulate General of Republic of Indonesia, 2006), p. 20.
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The first Muslim politician of South Africa
Ahmet Ataullah Bey’s background
The prominent historical figure, Al Sayyid Al Amjadiy2 Ahmet Ataullah Bey
was born in Cape Town in 1865. His mother, Rakea Maker was a South
African of English descent. Ahmet Ataullah’s father was the Ottoman Muslim
scholar Mudarris Abu Bakr Effendi, who was sent to Cape Town in 1862 in
order to resolve religious disputes among local Muslim communities.3
On the 8th of April 1863, Abu Bakr Effendi married Rakea (Rukiye) Maker
who was the daughter of Hajji Haruon, who lived in Keerom Street, in Cape
Town. Rakea was the adopted daughter of Hajji Haruon.4 According to
archival documents, Rakea was the daughter of Christians who had embraced
Islam and changed their names to Omer (originally, John Maker)5 and Rasiade
(Annie Barry).6 She conceived two children by Abu Bakr Effendi, one died
while she was giving birth.7 The second, Ahmet Ataullah was born in Cape
Town8 in March 1865.9
When Ahmet Ataullah was born, his father was a prominent teacher,
engaging in educational activities in his school on the Bree Street. Ahmet
Ataullah grew up in an environment where his peers included the grandson of
great imam Tuan Guru, Ahmet Rakip, prominent Imam Seraj Hendricks and
eminent religious leader Mohammed Dollie, as well as famous politician Dr
Abdullah Abdurrahman. These men all grew up to become important leaders
and intellectuals at the Cape of Good Hope.10
2 The meaning of Amjadiy is the most glorious and most distinguished. The term spells as Emced in Turkish. See,
F Develioglu, Osmanlıca-Türkçe Ansiklopedik Lugat (In Turkish, Aydin Kitabevi, Ankara 2012) p. 113.
3 S Argun, The life and contribution of the Osmanli scholar, Abu Bakr Effendi: Towards Islamic thought and culture
in South Africa (Master’s thesis, Rand Afrikans University, December 2000) pp. 8-9.
4 Cape Argus, 18 January 1893.
5 Cape Archive Repository, CSC 2/2/1/128 37, Record of Proceedings of Provisional Case, October-December,
A Barry, A Rasida and J Maker, Allias Omar versus Good Hope Savings Bank Society, 1858.
6 Cape Archive Repository, CSC 2/2/1/128 37 Record of Proceedings of Provisional Case, October-December,
Ann 1858. See also, MOOC 7/1/221 100, Maker, J. will.1853.
7 Cape Argus, 8 January 1870.
8 Achmad Davids mistakenly stated that Rakea’s second son disappeared in history which is incorrect. Rakea’s
second son was Ahmet Ataullah Effendi who was a historical figure in South African History. See, A Davids-Da
Costa, 1994 - Pages from Cape Muslim History, Abubakr Effendi. S Argun , The contribution…, p. 8.
9 Ahmet Ataullah Bey informed the Ottoman foreign affairs and explained his own background to the government
before he became Singapore consulate. These are all documented in the “Sicil Ahval Defters” in the Ottoman
Achieve, means, the registry book of identifications. See, Turkey, Ottoman State Archives, Foreign Affairs, Sicili
Ahval Defteri, No. 96, p. 187.
10 M Adhikari, Straat praatres, language, politics and popular culture in Cape Town 1909-1922 (Pretoria, Van
Schaik, 1996), p. 6.
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Ahmet Ataullah received his early education from his father at the Ottoman
Theological School at the corner of Wale and Bree Street. At this school,
while receiving his Islamic education from his father, Ataullah also had
the opportunity to gain a broad worldview in a richly multicultural and
multilingual environment. By the time Ataullah was ten years old, he already
knew English/Afrikaans as well as Arabic.11 After his primary education,
Ataullah went to the Mc Leahlen Academy in Buitengragt Street, Cape Town
which was based on more secular educational programs and subjects.12
At the age of twelve, Ataullah joined his father on a trip to Turkey via Mecca.
In 1876, the new Ottoman Sultan Abdul Hamid II was appointed. On this
journey, Ataullah’s father, Abu Bakr Effendi, introduced himself to Sultan
Abdul Hamid and mentioned his activities at the Cape of Good Hope. Upon
hearing about Effendi’s notable activities, Abdul Hamid Khan II devoted his
attention to his Muslim subjects at the Cape and ordered the publication of
Effendi’s Beyan ud- Din and Merasid ud- Din as a gift for the Cape Muslim
community.13
After spending time in Turkey, Abu Bakr Effendi returned to the Cape but
left his two sons Ataullah14 and Hesham Nimetullah in Istanbul, the centre
of the Caliphate to obtain the best possible education. 15 During their stay in
Istanbul, the brothers also learnt to speak Turkish. Ahmet Ataullah received
his first degree in Istanbul;16 thereafter he continued his studies at Jamiu’l
Azhar in Egypt.17
On the 29th June 1880, Ataullah’s father passed away in Cape Town.18
Ataullah returned to Cape Town with his brother, Hesham Nimetullah. Thus,
soon after the loss of his father, Abu Bakr Effendi, Ataullah’s life’s challenge as
a future intellectual and politician at the Cape of Good Hope.
11 A Ucar, Guney Afrika’da Osmanlilar (Camlica yayinlari, Istanbul, 2000), p. 300.
12 Turkey, Ottoman State Archives, Foreign Affairs, SAID, No. 9/1.
13 National Archives of South Africa, Library 297, Abu Abubakr Effendi: Bayannuddin; a Hanafee treatise on
Islam. See also, A Effendi, The religious duties of Islam as taught and explained, A translation from the original
Arabic and Afrikaans by Mia Brandel-Syrier, 2 (Leiden 1960).
14 J Loos, “The legacy of a learned man”, Cape Argus, Friday, 3 March 2000, p. 12.
15 A Muhammed, Identity and assimilation in the Malay community of nineteenth century (University of Cape Town,
Cape Town, 1989), p. 8.
16 Turkey, Ottoman State Archives, 28 June 1896, 6/1312/C-080.
17 Turkey, Ottoman State Archives, Foreign Affairs, Sicili Ahval Defteri, No. 96, p. 187.
18 H Gençoglu, “Afrikanin ilk Osmanli Mektebi”, Yedikita Dergisi, Istanbul, Ekim, 2013, p. 45.
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The first Muslim politician of South Africa
Ataullah Bey’s Marriage and Children
According to the documents in the Cape Archives, Ataullah Bey’s family
lived in Cape Town between 1883 and 1893.19 A considerable number of
estates were recorded in Ataullah’s name at the Cape. He lived in 90 Bree
Street but also had houses on Chiappini Street 48, as well as Strand Street.
According to the records, Ahmet Ataullah Bey had many properties in the
town left to him by his father, including the school at the corner of Wale and
Bree streets.20
Ataullah Bey’s wife was Muhsine, the daughter of Kadija Dollie and
Abdurrahman who were relatively affluent Muslim Cape Malays. Muhsine’s
grandparents were brought by the Dutch East India Company as slaves, and
Abdul and Betsy Jemalee later bought their freedom. Muhsine was one of nine
children and his brother was a political leader and physician, Dr Abdullah.21
Muhsine married Ahmet Ataullah Bey and had four children with him:22
Mehmet Fuat Ataullah,23 Abu Bakr Rusdu Ataullah, Havva Khairun Nisa24
and Khadijah.
Image 1: Ataullah Bey and his children, 1901, Istanbul
Source: Hesham N Effendi Family Archive, Gordon’s Bay, South Africa.
19 Cape Town Archives Repository, CSC 2/1/1/341, 114, Illiquid Case, Thorne Stortford and Company versus
Achmad Effendi 1897, see also Doc 4/1/142, 234, Mortgage Bond, Achmed Bey Effendi, Alias Achmad Atta
Allak Alias 1885. Doc, 4/1/331, 6 Achmed Bey Effendi, 1893.
20 The general directory and Guide-Book to the Cape of Good Hope and its dependencies as well as the Free State,
Transvaal and Natal (Cape Town. 1885), p. 27.
21 M Adhikari, “Abdullah Abdurahman, 1872-1940”, They shaped our century: The most influential South Africans
of the twentieth century (Cape Town, Human and Rousseau 1999), p. 438; Lewis, Between the wire and wall,
pp. 124-126, 128-133, 250-256. See also, M Adhikari, “Hope, fear, shame, frustration: Continuity and change
in the expression of Coloured identity in white supremacist in South Africa”, 1910-1994 (PhD, University of
Cape Town, 2002).
22 M Adhikari, Abdullah Abdurahman, 1872-1940..., pp. 437-441.
23 AF Effendi, Turkish self taught (London, 1942).
24 Turkey, Ottoman State Archives, 13/10/1920, HR.SYS, No.2654, Shelf number 9. See also, G Colak, Avrupada
Osmanli Kizlari (Istanbul, 2013), pp. 71-73.
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It is thought that in 1910, Ahmet Ataullah Bey’s wife Muhsine passed away
in London, while she was looking after her children were studying there.
She was buried in the new cemetery at Willesden, next to the grave of Hajji
Mohammed Dollie who was her mother’s relative.25
According to archival records, after the death of Ataullah Bey, the Ottoman
State looked after his family and the eldest son of Ataullah Bey, Mehmet Fuad
Ataullah was accepted into the State School26 in 1902. The Ottoman State
Archives report that Havva Khairun Nisa studied medicine in London and
was supported with scholarship from the Turkish State until 1920.
Another archival record shows that the circumcision feast of Ahmet Ataullah
Effendi’s sons was organised by the decree of the Sultan Abdul Hamid, which
is a very unique historical event in the history of the Ottoman State. As far as
is understood from the same document, for the other two children, Abu Bakr
Rushdie and Khadijah, a program for their further studies was arranged in
Istanbul by the Ministry of Education.27
Also, an independent house was arranged for Ataullah’s wife. By 1905,
Muhsine Beyan to receive her salary from the Ottoman State.28 The following
year, the Ottoman State provided a bursary for Ataullah’s children. After the
death of Ataullah Bey, Muhsine moved to London for her children’s studies.29
Her brother Dr. Abdullah Abdurrahman was also studying medicine in
England at the time.30
According to memories of A Khan, Ataullah Ataullah Bey’s family lived in
London. The family stayed close to him and as their neighbour, he had good
relations especially with the son Abu Bakr Rushdie. He often went out with
Rushdie, discussing the future of the Islamic World and the Ottoman State.31
Rushdie Bey attended the Polytechnic school and later graduated from
25 A Khan, My life and experiences (Khrishnavas international printers, London, 1951), p. 47. Three grandsons
of Tuan Guru, Abdul Rakiep, Abdullah and Mohamad and also Hamien, son of Achmat van Bengalen, and
Mohammed Dollie grew up in same environment but also were students of Abu Bakr Effendi in his high
theological school.
26 Galatasaray School is one of the most famous high schools of modern Turkey which is located in the centre of
Istanbul and was called Mekteb-i Sultan-i up until 1927.
27 Turkey, Ottoman State Archives, MF. MKT; 439-35/ (Regarding the educational service for the children of
Ahmet Ataullah who was the first Ottoman consulate of Singapore).
28 Ottoman State Archive, DH.H No 1/1-31 (Regarding the salary for Muhsine).
29 A Khan, My life and experiences, pp. 36-38, 43.
30 Turkey, Ottoman State Archives, Y.MTV., File:191, Folder:15, 5 September 1901.
31 A Khan, My life and experiences, pp. 42, 44, 47.
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The first Muslim politician of South Africa
London University in Modern Languages.32 Interestingly, in order to see his
birth place, he travelled to the Cape of Good Hope and later settled in Cape
Town. He became a successful businessman in South Africa. When Mustafa
Kemal Ataturk passed away in 1938, Rushdie Bey gave a speech on South
African national television and explained Ataturk’s role in history.33 Rushdie
Bey died in the 1970s in Cape Town.
The other son, Mehmet Fuad Ataullah, completed high school in Istanbul and
then moved to London. He worked at the British Broadcasting Corporation
(BBC) television as a linguist. He knew Arabic, English, Afrikaans, Turkish
and Greek. He wrote two books on learning Turkish English which
became reference books for teaching at the Oriental department at London
University.34 The first Turkish-English study text book was written by Mehmet
Fuad Ataullah in 1942. He was involved in many activities in South Africa
and passed away there in 1971.35
In 1912-1913, Khairun Havva Nisa Beyan studying Medicine at the
University of London. She was probably influenced by her uncle Dr Abdullah
Abdurrahman who was the first Muslim doctor and later a politician in
South Africa. She specialized in gynaecology and became one of the most
prominent medical doctors in her field.36 She married a Capetonian of Dutch
origin who was a businessman and they moved to Holland. In 1926, she lived
in Istanbul. When her husband passed away in Holland, she moved to Cape
Town and stayed there for the rest of her life.37 Local South African news
provides more information about her study in London and her relations with
Dr Abdurrahman.38
The year 1913, will probably never be forgotten by the Moslems of the Cape,
because of distinction gained by three Moslem girls, Miss Rukie Dollie , a
cousin of Dr Abdurrahman , is the first Moslem girl to gain the Cape T3
certificate. She was born in London where her father died a few years ago.
Miss Havva Effendi, a niece of the Doctor, has just passed the London matric,
in the first division in English, French, Latin, Mathematics, and History.
She is the daughter of the late A. Effendi, who during his life time, was well
known in Cape Town and Kimberley. Miss Havva is at present in London and
intends studying medicine. The third Muslim girl the distinguished herself is
32 A Khan, My life and experiences, p. 45.
33 HF Es , “Hayat Afrika’da”, No. 29, Hayat Mecmuasi, Istanbul, 13 July 1961, p. 11.
34 AF Effendi, Turkish self taught (London 1942).
35 A Ucar, Guney Afrika’da…, p. 359.
36 G Colak, Avrupada Osmanli…, pp. 71-73.
37 A Ucar, Guney Afrika’da…, p. 362.
38 Indian Opinion, 3 February 1913, p. 36.
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Miss Waradea, daughter of Dr Abdurrahman. She obtained the Cape Junior
Certificate. Our contemporary believes that Miss Havva and Waradea are not
only the first Moslem girls but the non - European girls of South Africa to pass
either the Cape Junior Certificate or the London matric.
Khadijah specialized in embroidery at the school of art in London. According
to the Effendi family, she married an Indian prince and moved to Karachi.39
Khadijah became the first Muslim woman justice in India.
Ahmet Ataullah Bey at the Cape
When Ataullah arrived at the Cape, he started teaching at his father’s school.
According to The Alphabetic Directory of Cape Town, in 1883 the Ottoman
Theological School was recorded under Ataullah’s name and he was recognized
as the Arabic school master.40 It was during his educational activities at the
school that Ataullah became known as an intellectual leader in the Cape
Muslim society.41 As a Muslim scholar, Ataullah wrote a religious book called
Tuhfat ul Islam.42
In 1886, the oldest Muslim graveyard in South Africa, the Tana Baru
cemetery was closed down by the colonial government due to an epidemic
in the town.43 The cemetery’s closure caused great grievance among Cape
Muslims who wanted to protect the place where great Muslim pioneers such
as Tuan Guru, Sheikh Sayed Mohammed Dervish Allawi and Mudarris Abu
Bakr Effendi lay buried. Many Muslims supported the cemetery campaign
against the government, clearly showing the strong solidarity that existed in
the Muslim society at the Cape of Good Hope in the nineteenth century.
One of the prominent figures of the time, Abdul Burn, requested help from
Ataullah Bey in leading the Muslim community in this campaign to save the
Tana Baru cemetery from closure. At the same time, students of Abu Bakr
Effendi encouraged Ataullah to lead this campaign. To mark his willingness to
lead the campaign, Ataullah Bey gave a special lecture in the Burhanul mosque
in Bo-Kaap.44 Many prominent Muslims of the Cape such as Shahibo, Hamza
39 A Ucar, Guney Afrika’da…, p. 362.
40 Cape Town Alphabetic Directory, Guide Book (Cape of Good Hope, 1885), p. XXVII.
41 G Babb, Abu Bakr Effendi – “Among the Young Turks in Afrikaans”, Quarterly Bulletin of the National Library
of South Africa; January-March 2010, 64(1), p. 27.
42 A Ucar, Guney Afrika’da…, p. 187.
43 A Davids, The Mosque of Bo-Kaap (Cape Town 1980), p. 61.
44 A Davids, The Mosque of Bo-Kaap, pp. 178-179.
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The first Muslim politician of South Africa
Achmat, Sulaiman, Abdol Khalil and others volunteered to assist Ataullah in
the quest to save their ancestral burial ground. After the meeting at Burhanul
Mosque, Ataullah Bey organized another meeting at Long Market Street and
in so doing, started gaining ground as an activist in the public sphere in Cape
Town.45 Davids notes that:46
He (Ahmed Ataullah) was actively involved in the affairs of the Cape Muslim
community. First major his impression he made was during the cemetery
riots of 1886. (…) Achmat Effendi had sufficient stature; he was an educated
man who could possibly use his education in negotiations. He thus came to
play a major role in the Muslim cemetery committee serving on the major
delegations to the premier, governor and the colonial secretary.
At the time of these events, Bey had just turned 22 years old. In spite of all
his efforts in leading a very spirited opposition, he could not win the cemetery
campaign. He did however, gain some ground against the government, who
agreed at least to provide the Cape Muslim community with a new cemetery
on the border between Salt River and Mowbray.47
Image 2: Ahmet Ataullah Bey
Source: Hesham N Effendi Family Archive.
According to a Cape archival record, Ataullah Bey also encouraged the
involvement of the Indian Muslim Community in religious life in the Cape
45 A Davids, The History of Tana Baru Cemetery (Cape Town, 1986), p. 128.
46 A Davids, The Mosque of Bo-Kaap, p. 174.
47 Cape Argus, 4 February 1905.
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Colony and made a speech to them regarding the Ottoman Muslim relations
in Durban. The group in Durban referred to themselves as the Hamidiye
Islam Association.48
Ataullah Bey’s activities appear to cover a number of diverse challenges related
to Muslim rights at the Cape. There are many articles in local newspapers with
regard to his political work. In 1893, Ataullah Bey’s faced his most significant
challenge while running for the assembly. The following article appeared in
the media:
The Coming Election
Moslem Candidate for Cape Town
Ahmed Ataullah Effendi, a teacher employed by the Turkish Government,
residing at Kimberley, has decided to present himself as a candidate for the
house of assembly at the approaching general election, and is at present in Cape
Town with a view to further his candidacy. Ahmed is the son of later Abou
Bekr Effendi, who was sent by the Turkish Government from Constantinople,
in 1861 to adjust religious differences in this colony amongst the Mussulmen
community. He married in the colony a Muhammedan woman whose
mother was of Christian parents, and the Parliamentary candidate was born in
Cape Town. He is an educated man and understands both English and Dutch
languages. He has had training in Cairo, Mecca and Constantinople, and now
holds a well-paid appointment as teacher. His brother-in law Abdullah Abdol
Ragman, is now qualifying himself for the medical profession at the University
of Glasgow and is expected to complete his studies in a few mounts, when he
intends returning to the Colony to practice the profession here.
In an interview with a representative of the Argus Janaury 1893, Ahmed
Effendi stated that there are 900 Moslems on the register in Cape Town, such
of whom has four votes, and he added, if these all vote for me I shall win the
seat. A conversation by the representative of the Argus with Ahmed Effendi
then follow:49
“And will they all vote for you?”
I am certain of 800, having been to all the priests, and having also visited
from house to house amongst the Moslem voters.
“Have you received promise any European support?”
-Yes, I have promises from about twenty Europeans.
“Are they people of any position?”
48 Cape Town National Archive, Letter from Governor to Earl of Kimberley, GH 23/37(3); GH 1/413, no.171, 1
April 1881.
49 Achmat Effendi, “Argus”, 18 January1893.
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